SB 872 — An Act amending Title 61 (Prisons and Parole) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in Nonnarcotic Medication Assisted Substance Abuse Treatment Grant Pilot Program, further providing for definitions, repealing provisions relating to establishment of pilot program, providing for establishment and further providing for county participation requirements, for use of grant funding, for powers and duties of department, for report to General Assembly and for construction; imposing duties on the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency; and making an editorial change.

PRINTER'S NO.   970

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                        SENATE BILL
                        No. 872
                                               Session of
                                                 2025

     INTRODUCED BY YAW, SANTARSIERO, BARTOLOTTA, KEARNEY, BROWN,
        COSTA, SAVAL, VOGEL AND HAYWOOD, JUNE 19, 2025

     REFERRED TO JUDICIARY, JUNE 19, 2025


                                    AN ACT
 1   Amending Title 61 (Prisons and Parole) of the Pennsylvania
 2      Consolidated Statutes, in Nonnarcotic Medication Assisted
 3      Substance Abuse Treatment Grant Pilot Program, further
 4      providing for definitions, repealing provisions relating to
 5      establishment of pilot program, providing for establishment
 6      and further providing for county participation requirements,
 7      for use of grant funding, for powers and duties of
 8      department, for report to General Assembly and for
 9      construction; imposing duties on the Pennsylvania Commission
10      on Crime and Delinquency; and making an editorial change.
11      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
12   hereby enacts as follows:
13      Section 1.    Chapter 46 heading of Title 61 of the
14   Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes is amended to read:
15                                CHAPTER 46
16                     [NONNARCOTIC MEDICATION ASSISTED]
17     MEDICATION-ASSISTED SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT GRANT [PILOT]
18                                 PROGRAM
19      Section 2.    The definition of "pilot program" in section 4601
20   of Title 61 is amended and the section is amended by adding
21   definitions to read:
22   § 4601.   Definitions.
 1      The following words and phrases when used in this chapter
 2   shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
 3   context clearly indicates otherwise:
 4      "Commission."    The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and
 5   Delinquency.
 6      * * *
 7      "Medication-assisted treatment."    The use of United States
 8   Food and Drug Administration-approved medications, along with
 9   treatment other than medication, as clinically indicated, to
10   treat substance use disorders, including opioid use disorders.
11      ["Pilot program] "Program."    The [Nonnarcotic Medication
12   Assisted] Medication-assisted Substance Abuse Treatment Grant
13   [Pilot] Program established under [this chapter] section 4602.1
14   (relating to establishment).
15      Section 3.    Section 4602 of Title 61 is repealed:
16   [§ 4602.    Establishment of pilot program.
17      The Nonnarcotic Medication Assisted Substance Abuse Treatment
18   Grant Pilot Program is established in the department to increase
19   opportunities for counties to provide long-acting nonnarcotic,
20   nonaddictive medication combined with comprehensive substance
21   abuse treatment to eligible offenders upon release from county
22   correctional institutions. Grants shall be limited to fiscal
23   year 2015-2016 and awarded to counties eligible to participate
24   in the pilot program within six months of the effective date of
25   this section.]
26      Section 4.    Title 61 is amended by adding a section to read:
27   § 4602.1.    Establishment.
28      The Medication-assisted Substance Abuse Treatment Grant
29   Program is established in the commission to increase
30   opportunities for counties to provide medication-assisted

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 1   treatment combined with comprehensive substance use disorder
 2   treatment to eligible offenders while incarcerated and upon
 3   release from county correctional institutions.
 4      Section 5.     Sections 4603, 4604, 4605, 4607 and 4608 of Title
 5   61 are amended to read:
 6   § 4603.    County participation requirements.
 7      In order to be eligible for grant funding under the [pilot]
 8   program, a county must:
 9             (1)   Make application to the [department] commission in a
10      form and manner as provided by the [department] commission.
11             (2)   Have a county correctional institution with an
12      institutional substance abuse treatment program that supports
13      offenders while incarcerated or transitioning from a county
14      correctional institution to the community or offenders who
15      are sentenced to serve [county intermediate punishment
16      sentences] probation with restrictive conditions.
17             (3)   Be able to contract with a provider as required
18      under section 4604 (relating to use of grant funding).
19             (4)   Meet any other requirements established by the
20      [department] commission.
21   § 4604.    Use of grant funding.
22      (a)    County.--A county awarded a grant under the [pilot]
23   program shall do all of the following or contract with an
24   entity, provider or organization that shall:
25             (1)   Assess each offender, prior to reentry into the
26      community, and determine if the offender is a candidate to
27      whom should be administered medication that prevents relapse
28      to drug dependence or alcohol dependence, or both.
29             (2)   Create an individualized program for each offender
30      identified under paragraph (1).

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 1             (3)   Provide access to and administer [long-acting
 2      nonnarcotic, nonaddictive medication assisted treatment]
 3      medication-assisted treatment.
 4             (4)   Provide clinically appropriate inpatient or
 5      outpatient services determined as necessary to support each
 6      individual's treatment plan.
 7             (5)   Cooperate with the county probation and parole
 8      office as to the use of any drug under paragraph (1) by any
 9      eligible offender.
10             (6)   Create a discharge plan for each offender under
11      paragraph (1).
12      (b)    Requirement of participants.--Each participant must
13   [agree to waive the privacy requirements of the Health Insurance
14   Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-191,
15   110 Stat. 1936)] provide consent under applicable Federal and
16   State law to the extent needed for the county to have access to
17   the information required under this section.
18   § 4605.    Powers and duties of [department] commission.
19      (a)    General rule.--The [department] commission, in
20   collaboration with the department, shall:
21             (1)   Establish a form for counties to apply for grant
22      funding under the [pilot] program.
23             (2)   Establish criteria for counties making application
24      for grant funding under the [pilot] program.
25             (3)   Develop or approve training and instructional
26      materials for the law enforcement community about opioid and
27      alcohol addiction and the proper and effective use of
28      [nonnarcotic medication assisted substance abuse treatment]
29      medication-assisted treatment in consultation with the
30      appropriate State agencies, including, but not limited to,

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 1    the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, the Department
 2    of Human Services, the Department of Health[, the
 3    Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole and the
 4    Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency] and the
 5    board.
 6          (4)   Make a form available to providers to be used to
 7    confirm that an offender is eligible for and enrolled in the
 8    [pilot] program.
 9          (5)   Set forth the basis for medical providers to be
10    reimbursed and for [medical] substance use disorder treatment
11    providers to be reimbursed for counseling services.
12          (6)   Promulgate any rules and regulations necessary to
13    implement this chapter.
14    (b)   Limitation on grant awards.--[Grant]
15          (1)   Except as provided in paragraph (2), grant awards
16    shall be at the discretion of the [department] commission and
17    shall be limited to amounts annually appropriated to the
18    [department] commission for the [pilot] program.
19          (2)   Notwithstanding paragraph (1):
20                (i)     In awarding grants under the program, the
21          commission shall prioritize applications requesting funds
22          for nonnarcotic medication-assisted treatment.
23                (ii)    The commission shall make all reasonable
24          efforts to commit the full amounts annually appropriated
25          for the purposes of the program by the end of the fiscal
26          year for which the amounts were appropriated.
27                (iii)    Grant money allocated through the program
28          shall be used to supplement and not supplant existing
29          funding. Nothing in this section shall be construed to
30          prohibit a county from making an application to receive a

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 1             grant award under the program in a subsequent year for
 2             the same purpose and amount in the prior year.
 3   § 4607.    Report to General Assembly.
 4      [Within 18 months of the effective date of this section, the
 5   department] (a)      Issuance.--Beginning two years after the
 6   effective date of this subsection, the commission shall issue a
 7   biennial report to the Judiciary Committee of the Senate and the
 8   Appropriations Committee of the Senate and the Judiciary
 9   Committee of the House of Representatives and the Appropriations
10   Committee of the House of Representatives evaluating the
11   effectiveness of the [pilot] program. The report shall include:
12             (1)    The number of eligible offenders to whom [long-
13      acting nonnarcotic, nonaddictive medication assisted]
14      medication-assisted treatment was administered.
15             (2) The number of eligible offenders who completed the
16      program of [long-acting nonnarcotic, nonaddictive medication
17      assisted] medication-assisted treatment.
18             (3)    Recidivism rates of eligible offenders to whom
19      [long-acting nonnarcotic, nonaddictive medication assisted]
20      medication-assisted treatment was administered.
21             (4)    [The average amount of] A summary of the grants
22      awarded to counties and the amounts awarded.
23             [(5)    The number of providers available to meet the
24      requirements provided in section 4603 (relating to county
25      participation requirements) on a county-by-county basis.]
26             (6)    The impact of the use of [long-acting nonnarcotic,
27      nonaddictive medication assisted] medication-assisted
28      treatment on treatment outcomes and any potential cost
29      savings.
30      (b)    (Reserved).

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1   § 4608.   Construction.
2      Nothing in this act shall be construed to create an
3   entitlement or a right of an eligible offender to receive
4   medication-assisted treatment while incarcerated or upon release
5   from a county correctional institution.
6      Section 6.   This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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